


skin of the night

by iljinhansol



Category: Big Bang (Band)
Genre: Gore, M/M, Mafia AU, Suicide
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-13
Updated: 2016-08-13
Packaged: 2018-08-08 14:34:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7761679
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iljinhansol/pseuds/iljinhansol
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>But then again, Youngbae thinks, what’s overboard to someone who’s already hit rock bottom?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Seungri has his lips traveling over Daesung’s neck, slowly pressing kisses in various spots. There’s crowds of people sitting at their table, but they don’t seem to mind. Daesung has his 5th drink in his left hand, his right hand supporting Seungri on his lap. The younger has his hands curled up in Daesung’s chest. Seungri has only had one drink, something fruity, he doesn’t remember the name of it (By choice, he has too much pride to say he’s ordered Sex on the Beach, and liked it.) Jiyong is sitting beside them with his feet kicked up on the table. Waitresses will walk by and not even bat an eyelash; he’s got enough money to buy this place 3 times and still be the wealthiest man there. He, like Daesung, is also piss drunk. At the moment, he’s messing with a toothpick between his lips and trying to fix his precious silver revolver. He pays no mind to Seungri crawling all over Daesung. 

Often, Seungri wonders why Jiyong recruited Daesung. He shouldn’t be in this kind of mess. The youngest thinks that’s why he’s here. No one would expect Daesung to kill, let alone be in the country’s highest ranking mafia. He’s always smiling. Not some creepy killer smile, that kind of smile that makes you good again, one that makes you see the brighter side of things. Seungri feels guilty for bringing him to Jiyong. He shouldn’t have mentioned anything. And at night when Seungri lays under Youngbae’s sheets, he tells him this, over and over again. Youngbae just tells him that it’s too late to do anything now. Only way out is death. 

Seungri inhales Daesung’s scent while the other downs the rest of his drink. He purses his lips and pushes Seungri off his neck to look him in the eyes. He lays a kiss on his lips and pulls back, displaying a sloppy, childish smile. He sets down his empty glass drink on the table and smacks Seungri’s thigh. Seungri rolls over next to Jiyong, who motions two fingers towards Daesung. Seungri can’t hear what Jiyong whispers to him. Whatever it was, it sent Daesung to the restroom. Seungri sits for a few minutes thinking about his talks with Youngbae. How Daesung shouldn’t be here. He’s twiddling his fingers in his lap, which holds his attention now that his man for the night is preoccupied in the restroom. 

From under the table, a pointed shoe finds Seungri’s shin, causing him to wince in pain and turn his focus up. It’s not Jiyong, who still has his feet casually lounging on the table in front of them. It’s obvious who it was. Seunghyun takes a drag of his cigarette, eyes locked on the youngest like a predator watching its prey. He exhales the smoke into the air and leans forward, probably so Seungri can hear him. 

“Where’s Daesu-” He starts, but is immediately shut up with a punch to the side from Jiyong. Jiyong has always been a sloppy drunk, but not violent. This is new to them.

Seungri taps his phone on the table. He’s only been gone for 5 or 6 minutes. He puts two and two together and concludes that Daesung is probably freshening up and probably vomiting a few drinks here and there. He’ll need some time. 

Seunghyun, still bitter about the side blow, continuously blows his smoke at Jiyong for the time being. Or until Youngbae comes over. Youngbae always hates when Jiyong and Seunghyun smoke, especially inside. When he does come over, he grabs Seunghyun’s half smoked cigarette and puts it out on the table. Now everyone is aggravated and Seungri’s missing Daesung. It’s 2:30 in the morning and the night needs to come to an end. 

Seungri pockets his phone and heads towards the brightly lit hall with the restrooms. The men's room is quiet and from the looks of it, empty. There’s one locked stall in the middle, presumably Daesung. Seungri peeks under- Daesung has his head planted in the toilet, hugging the seat. So Seungri sits himself down with his back against the center stall. 

“I told you not to drink so much.” He scolds. Usually it’s the other way around, but tonight just seems to not follow the ordinary.

There’s no response from the stall behind him. Seungri just laughs. 

“I’ll get some hangover pills on the way home.” He smiles to himself. There’s a drop hitting the water as a response. 

Seungri shuts up, seeing as Daesung is really in no shape to respond. He puts one hand on the ground next to him, and lays the other across his knees. A few more drops hit the water in the bowl. 

On the floor beside him, something pools out and seeps under his hand. Seungri flinches. 

“Dude, that’s so gross-” Seungri starts. He suddenly realizes Daesung hasn’t thrown up since he’s entered the bathroom, only hearing something dripping in the toilet. And when he looks at his hand, he sees it’s not vomit. A thick red coat of blood is painted on Seungri’s hand, and the rest of the trail is making its way down to the drain in the center of the bathroom. He kicks himself across the floor, away from Daesung’s stall. He chokes on the bile that rises in his throat. 

He manages to keep it down but can’t hold in his whimper as he looks from his hand, back to the stall, then back to his hand. Seungri’s legs have lost all feeling, and he’s almost as white as the tiles that surround him. He tries to push himself up, but the hand covered in red slips out from underneath him. On the second attempt, Seungri is out the door and running like mad back to his table. 

If Jiyong didn’t know any better, he’d think Seungri had just been brutally tortured. But he knows damn well why Seungri is stuttering in front of them. Why the hand holding him up on the table is covered in blood. Why Daesung is currently bleeding out, hunched over a toilet.

All Seungri can spit out is, “There’s blood, there’s so much blood.”

Jiyong rolls his eyes, “Who’d you kill?” He bares his teeth while kicking his feet off the table and pulling himself out of the booth.

Seungri doesn’t respond. It’s not that he doesn’t have an answer, it’s that he physically cannot form a response. 

When Jiyong enters the bathroom, he would have thought he just walked into a slaughterhouse. There’s a pool of blood in the center of the tiled floor leading from a single stall. He takes a deep breath and steps around the trail, ending up a few feet in front of Daesung’s stall. He tosses his toothpick from earlier off to the side and pushed up his jacket sleeves. On the first attempt to kick in the stall door, he fails, but turns to Youngbae and tells him to make sure no one enters the bathroom, especially Seungri. Seunghyun just stands silently in the corner, lighting another cigarette. 

Both the second and third attempt unhinge the door a bit, but not enough to break it off. So Jiyong moves his jacket off to the side and pulls his revolver tucked under his belt and pushes it against the lock. The metal makes a sharp noise once the bullet is fired, but it breaks the lock and causes the door to bounce back. Jiyong motions Seunghyun to come into the stall with him and pick up Daesung. It seems that he’s stopped bleeding, but Jiyong crouches down to inspect the cut on his neck. 

He lets out a single ‘ha’, and looks over his shoulder at Seunghyun, “He almost pussied out. He could’ve gone deeper.” Seunghyun just exhales smoke and puts his cigarette back in his mouth. Jiyong zips up Daesung’s leather jacket, covering the gash on his neck and slings one of his limp arms over his shoulder. Seunghyun does the same. Their goal is to play it off as Daesung is passed out, piss drunk after a night of insane amounts of vodka. The blood on the floor is someone else's problem.

They take the back exit to avoid any unwanted attention. Youngbae already has Seungri waiting in the car. He’s curled up in the backseat, staring at his hand, which is still covered in dried blood. He hasn’t taken his eyes off it. He’s not crying though. He doesn’t want to know what would happen if Jiyong caught him crying.

Youngbae is sitting on the hood of the car when both Seunghyun and Jiyong drag Daesung out the back door. He silently hops off and pops open the trunk so they can throw him in. 

Jiyong is on the phone with someone, Seungri can’t tell who, the conversation is muffled through the car window. He keeps saying “It happened.” Then after a few times, he finishes his sentence. “We’re gonna need a spot to get rid of him, we can’t go through with a funeral. Not at a time like this.”

Jiyong hangs up the phone and gets in the driver's seat of the car. He tosses his phone in the cup holder and puts the keys in the ignition. Youngbae takes the backseat next to Seungri, while Seunghyun sits shotgun. 

Youngbae keeps his eyes on Seungri, who is keeping wide eyes on his open bloody hand. 

Jiyong doesn’t say a word the whole ride there. He has nothing to say, nor do the others. 

When he cuts off road onto a dirt trail, Seungri finally takes his eyes off his hand. He can’t see anything outside the window, but Jiyong stops the car. Seunghyun opens the glove compartment and hands Jiyong a flashlight. He pops the trunk and gets out of the car. 

When both Seunghyun and Jiyong are out of the car, Youngbae puts a hand on Seungri’s back. He winces at the touch, but looks over at Youngbae.

“There’s times like this where Jiyong isn’t going to play games.”

Seungri knows exactly what he means. He wants to shake his head, but Jiyong is already popping the trunk open.

So Youngbae and Seungri get out of the car as well and meet the other two at the trunk. Jiyong clicks on the flashlight and secures it between his teeth. He and Seunghyun grab Daesung’s top half, while Seungri and Youngbae grab his feet. Jiyong flashes the light to the ground beside them. This must be where the call from earlier comes into play. There’s a spot, fit for the size of a human body. All four of them carry the weight to hover said ditch. 

Out of the whole group, Seungri sets his load down the lightest.

Jiyong looks up at the stars for a second. And hoping Jiyong doesn’t notice, Seungri reaches down into the ground and crosses Daesung’s hands on his abdomen. But tonight just doesn’t seem to be Seungri’s night, and Jiyong notices him crouched down next to the ditch. So he plants a kick into Seungri’s ribs, knocking the wind out of him as he falls on his back. 

“He’s dead Seungri.” He steps over him. “Forget about him.”


	2. Chapter 2

The car ride back to their apartment is spent in silence. Seungri has his legs pulled into his chest and is sleeping against the window. He’s taken Jiyong’s words and finally processed them. Daesung is dead. Daesung is gone. Seungri’s mind isn’t racing anymore.

Next to him, Youngbae is sitting wide awake, watching Seungri. He wants to protect him from now on. All without Jiyong knowing. Jiyong would kill Youngbae. He knows better then to show weakness. So when they arrive back to the dimly lit apartment, Youngbae waits for Jiyong to go inside before he carries Seungri in and lays him under his sheets. Seungri always crawls under his sheets on nights like this anyways.

Youngbae grabs a towel from his nightstand and wets it in the bathroom. He uncurls Seungri’s hand from his chest, gently wipes the blood off it. His face scrunches up and he tries to pull his hand back into the safety of his own chest, but a sleeping Seungri is weaker than an alert Youngbae, so he keeps a hold on Seungri’s hand and finishes cleaning it.

Youngbae tosses the washcloth after he’s done. There’s no use in washing that one; it’s covered in blood now. He splashes some warm water on his face and strips his shirt off. Youngbae checks the time as he sets his phone down on the nightstand. It’s nearing 3:45 am, which is a normal time for him to be going to bed nowadays. He lies down on the empty half of the bed, and as if he was commanded to, Seungri finds his way into Youngbae’s chest. He repositions himself for a few seconds, then settles. Youngbae lays his palm on Seungri’s forehead and pushes stray hairs out of his face.

-

 

Around 4:30 am, Youngbae flinches awake when a shot is fired into the wall in the next room. He doesn’t open his eyes, he just lays in bed, waiting for another noise. Or if it was Jiyong, a loud ‘fuck’. He pulls Seungri closer, seeing as in the last hour of sleep he strayed from Youngbae’s arms.

After a few minutes of silence, he starts to think it’s just a one time thing. But Jiyong is an unpredictable bastard, and there’s another shot, this time followed by a high pitched groan. It doesn’t sound like a sob, because everyone knows Jiyong never cries. Youngbae drags himself out of bed, leaving Seungri alone under his sheets.

In the next room over, Jiyong is pacing. When Youngbae clicks open the door, he stops and points his revolver at him. His jaw is chattering, and he might just pull the trigger. The elder fully enters the room and groggily slides up the lightswitch, emitting a dim light in the room. Jiyong’s firing shots at the wall with a picture of his precious mafia.

There’s two bulletholes just barely missing Daesung’s head in the photo.

Jiyong is staring directly at Youngbae, blinking furiously. Youngbae is just looking around the room. He takes a few steps towards Jiyong and yanks the revolver away from him. It’s been a long night and neither of them are in the right mental state. Especially not Jiyong. Youngbae tosses the handgun on the desk beside them and pushes Jiyong onto his bed.

“Do this when we’re not here. We’re supposed to look up to you.” He scolds.

Before Youngbae leaves Jiyong’s room, he slides the picture Jiyong was using as target practice out and folds over the section that includes Daesung, smiling bright and happy with an arm locked around Jiyong. He pins the picture back up and exits the room. When he closes the door behind him, he can hear Jiyong’s fist hit the wall, and it’s the last he hears from him that night.

Back in his own room, Youngbae finds Seungri sprawled across his mattress, so Youngbae opts to sleeping on the bathroom floor, just how he did when Jiyong first recruited him.

 -

 

When Youngbae wakes up the second time at noon, it’s on his own. No psycho in the next room over firing off his handgun. No sobbing kid curled up in his chest. No early morning wine fest. Youngbae pauses for a moment. There’s no breakfast call from Daesung.

It’s going to take some getting used to.

Seungri wakes up tangled in Youngbae’s sheets. He can tell by the smell when he takes his first deep breath before opening his eyes. He can’t feel Youngbae next to him, and it scares him awake. He sits up and tosses the blankets off his body. As he moves his legs off to the side of the bed, Youngbae steps out into the bathroom doorway. Seungri’s tired eyes look up to him from the bedside, and there's a sigh of relief, but Youngbae breaks eye contact and makes his way towards the kitchen. Seungri follows close behind.

It foreign to them, not seeing the table set and ready for breakfast. Youngbae grabs glasses of water for the both of them and sits at the island in the kitchen. As Seungri quickly downs his glass, Jiyong walks out of the corridor. The noose scribbled on his sideburn is new, and Seungri notices it first. Maybe it means this mess will all be over soon.

Seunghyun doesn’t even bother leaving his room that morning. He, unlike the others, knows damn well that there’s nothing out there.

Jiyong doesn’t bring them all together today. The others take it as a blessing.

-

 

It’s going on midnight now, Youngbae resting against the headboard of his bed when Seungri peeks into his room. He doesn’t say anything. He just crawls on top of Youngbae and begins to kiss his neck, just as he did Daesung’s last night.

Youngbae winks open an eye and clears his throat. Seungri is fresh out of the shower, hands glued to Youngbae’s chest. The elder’s hand ghosts against Seungri’s jawline and makes him look Youngbae in the eyes. The youngest’s eyes are swollen. He quickly looks down, embarrassed, like a child. Jiyong has Seungri programmed to be ashamed of crying, so he does it in the shower where no one sees him.

Youngbae kisses Seungri’s cheekbone and lingers close after. He flips the blonde under him and inhales, taking a moment to think. Youngbae doesn’t trail his lips anywhere else on Seungri’s body. He’s afraid that if he touches him anymore the younger will shatter. So he keeps his head right in the crook of Seungri’s neck.

The younger tries to urge him to touch him, to kiss him, to do something. But instead he breaks beneath Youngbae. His jaw is locking and he’s trying to swallow the lump in his throat, but he can’t contain it and it all goes downhill. Seungri is shoving the balls of his hands into his eyes, coughing up tears in Youngbae’s sheets once again.

And just like every other night Seungri spends in his bed, Youngbae pulls him into his chest and just lets him cry.

-

 

At some point in the night, Jiyong is kicking in the front door and letting out frustrated grunts. Seunghyun wakes up first, seeing as his room is closest to the entrance. He rolls his eyes and brings himself to his bedroom door, cracking it open. When he peeks out, he can he can see blood clearly smeared by the feet dragging through it. Jiyong's done it, he’s officially lost his mind.

Seunghyun walks out into the living room where he finds Jiyong sitting the bloodied body of a man against the table. There’s blood all over the boy, and it’s even dripping from his mouth that doesn’t seem to stay shut as he groans in pain. Jiyong hasn’t said anything to him yet. He’s face to face with the boy, scanning him thoroughly .

Seunghyun can see the light under Youngbae’s door flick on as Jiyong stands up. He circles around the male sitting in the middle of the floor. If Jiyong doesn’t kill him soon, the shots already fired into his side will.

Youngbae comes out of his room, Seungri following behind him like a shadow.

Jiyong pulls out his favored revolver and points it at the back of the stranger’s head, cocking it. Youngbae knits his eyebrows together, Jiyong brought this kid to their apartment just to kill him. He already has a few bulletholes in him, he could’ve just killed him outside. But Youngbae doesn’t speak; he doesn’t want the gun pointed at himself any time soon. So he, and everybody else in the room, stays silent.

“Why were you following me?” Jiyong’s voice is low and sinister.

There’s no response. Until Jiyong plants a kick into his ribs, sending him face first into the wood.

“I was asked to.” He moans. When he lolls his head to the side, Youngbae gets a peek at his missing teeth. That probably explains the blood dripping from his lips and the blood staining on Jiyong’s knuckles.

Jiyong grabs a handful of his hair again and yanks him back up. “By who? Who asked you to follow me?”

The mess in front of him seems strong willed, not giving up any more information. But like a crack of a whip, Jiyong pulls the trigger, shooting him in the leg. There’s a loud groan that leads into a mess of words. Jiyong can’t understand a single word he’s saying. He pushes the muzzle of the gun roughly in between his eyes and cocks it one more time.

“Say it clearly, fucking punk.” He says between clenched teeth.

“Kiko. Kiko Kiko Kiko.” He repeats it like a mantra. Or maybe a prayer that could somehow save him from this mess.

“And who are you?” Jiyong remains fearless, his gun not moving from the spot on the blond's forehead.

“S-S-Song Mino.” He stutters. Jiyong fires his last bullet.

Seunghyun groans. Now there’s a mess all over the living room.

 -

 

The next morning, Jiyong is in Youngbae’s room bright and early, dropping an empty suitcase on his bed.

“We’re going to Tokyo. The flights in 2 hours.” He barks, shutting the door behind him. Youngbae lets out a groan and slaps Seungri’s cheeks till he wakes up.

Youngbae drags himself out of bed and pulls his hair back into a small ponytail and starts shoving clothes into the suitcase delivered. Seungri sneaks back into his room, although Jiyong already knows exactly where he was last night.

It’s ironic because Seunghyun, Youngbae, and Seungri are all packed within the next half hour, while Jiyong is carefully wrapping his handguns and strategically packing them in the bottom of his bag so there's no problem getting them by the metal detector.

Soon after, the leader walks out to the living room on the phone. No one is sure who the call is with, but they listen anyway.

“There was a bit of accident last night.” He huffs, scratching the back of his head. “We’re leaving for Japan right now, if you could take care of it before we get back.” No please or thanks, he just hangs up. He pockets his phone and slings his bag over his shoulder.

 -

 

On the way to the security, Jiyong keeps his eyes peeled for a man wearing all black. He doesn’t know how, but this man somehow always gets Jiyong’s guns and pocket knives through security. He’s a good guy, Jiyong likes to keep him around.

Jiyong and Seunghyun sit in the row in front of Youngbae and Seungri. Youngbae hasn’t told Seungri to tone it down in front of Jiyong, and he’s surprised Jiyong hasn’t shot him dead yet. But Seungri still uses the flight at his advantage to sleep on Youngbae’s shoulder.

The flight is short, two hours give or take. Seungri throws his shades on as soon as he gets off the plane to cover his sleepy eyes. He locates the bathroom and follows Jiyong in. The youngest only joined Jiyong in here to splash some cold water on his face. Jiyong is taking a call while unzipping his jeans at the urinal. He answers with a grunt.

“What?” He almost chokes on his spit.

“No, you fuck.” He snaps. “I heard you. I wanted an explanation.” Jiyong mumbles something about the person on the other being a fucking idiot.

“You’re fucking worthless. Where are you?” He questions, pinching his cell phone between his shoulder and ear. He tucks himself back in his jeans and pushes pass Seungri to wash his hands.

This is only the first ten minutes in Tokyo. Seungri doesn’t want to imagine the rest of the trip.

 -

 

Jiyong’s jaw has been clenched since the call ended. He’s booking it down Tokyo streets with his sight set dead ahead. Out of the hundreds they’ve passed, there’s a certain alley Jiyong turns down. The tall man from the airport in all black is leaned against the wall. He hears Jiyong approaching and looks up, hands already up in front of his chest to defend himself. He can’t even get a ‘let me explain out’ before Jiyong lands a punch into his jaw.

He stumbles onto the ground and holds his jaw, but Jiyong isn’t done. He pushes the heel of his shoe into the man’s shoulder so he’s flat on his back and then crawls on top of him.

“Seunghoon you filthy fucking brat, where the fuck are my guns?” He hits him in the jaw again while a followup swing hits him in the cheekbone.

Seunghoon winces under Jiyong, choking on his answer. “They’re gone, security found them in the cargo of the plane.” Jiyong calls bullshit and lands another punch into his jaw. His face is hit completely to the side, where he spits out a puddle of blood. His head rolls flat back on the ground and he lets out a groan. He’s conscious, but looks like a bloodied mess, left dead in an alleyway.

From behind, Seunghyun pulls him off of Seunghoon. Jiyong then sends a finishing kick into his ribs.

“Don’t think I’m done with you.” He barks as the eldest tugs him away.

As they turn the corner, Seunghoon rolls on his side and pulls out his phone. His fingers are struggling to scroll through his contacts. He tries to pull himself together as the dial tone repeats itself.

“What.” A smooth female voice snaps from the other line.

Seungyoon groans, rolling back over. “Jiyong is here. He’s in Tokyo.” And the line drops. 

-

 

Jiyong spends the rest of the day locked in the room at the hotel. Usually his head isn’t on straight, but today it’s off the charts. He’s got papers spread on his bed and he’s pacing the room. These papers all have details of murders, drug cartels, and sex trafficking on them that are all connected to the same person. They describe the killer as a female in her mid twenties and the head of Tokyo’s highest ranking mafia. Therefore, whoever this girl is, she just became Jiyong’s biggest rival.

Seunghyun is sitting on the couch in the loft using his pocket knife to pick dirt out from under his nails when Jiyong casually comes out of his room. He puts his hand out in front of the eldest, silently asking for the knife. Seunghyun rolls his eyes and hands it to him.

“Come on.” He mumbles. “Get Youngbae and Seungri.”

-

 

For the second time that day, Jiyong is pushing his way through the people on the streets. He’s got something scribbled on his hand that looks like directions, but Seungri, who’s constantly peeking over his shoulder, can’t really tell. The neon lights in the windows of shops illuminate the streets in front of them. Jiyong is constantly looking down at his hand then back up at the street ahead. He looks like he has no clue what he’s doing, but no one questions it.

Jiyong has a tight hold on the knife he obtained from Seunghyun earlier. He flips the blade out as he approaches a man outside a pawn shop smoking. He grabs a hold of the man’s hair and pulls his head back, pressing the tip of the knife into his neck. Not even Seunghyun, Jiyong’s partner in crime, had seen that coming.

“You look promising. Where’s Kiko?” He almost growls.

The boy chokes on the smoke and tries to catch his breath while Seunghyun slips the cigarette from his mouth. They both wait for a response. But Jiyong watches as Seunghyun looks at the knife at his neck, examines the half smoked stick, and pushes it into the boy’s neck. He whines and inhales deeply through his clenched teeth. Seunghyun pulls the cigarette off his neck and drops it.

“I-it's the second warehouse on the right.” He spills, eyes shut tight.

Jiyong laughs. It’s insanely gross. “Don’t worry. You’re coming with us.” 

-

 

Jiyong stands tall over the stranger’s shoulder. He has a clear view of the empty warehouse. It’s dark. The only windows in are at the top, and all they emit is the reflection of the moonlight. There is a light that seeps out from the crack under the door ahead. It’s Jiyong’s only hope of finding Kiko at the moment, so he takes the risk.

He shoves the the shorter boy towards the door, knife still threatening his neck. Seunghyun, Youngbae, and Seungri all stand back. Without any weapons, they’re practically useless.

Jiyong gets close to the boy’s ear and whispers, “You better act fast kid.”

And the boy under him purses his lips and knocks the door with a few kicks.

Behind the door there’s a muffled voice. “It’s probably Jinwoo.”

The silhouette of feet appear at the crack. The voice from behind the door is quickly matched to a face when it’s yanked open. Yet another male, sporting a leather jacket and an cat eye stare.

“Jinwoo…” He exhales

Jiyong pushes the knife in, and sharply pulls it away, ripping the skin of this boy's throat. He drops Jinwoo and for a second, watches him suffer. Purely for his entertainment. He then steps over him and pushes past the taller male, who is in awe at the moment.

Seungri watches as Jinwoo holds his neck, kicking his legs around on the floor. All he can think about is Daesung. He's flinching behind Youngbae, his hands curled up in the elder’s jacket. Seungri never wanted this.

Seunghyun follows behind and twists the arm of the boy Jiyong pushed by seconds ago. The eldest has nothing to threaten this man now that Jiyong kind of stole his pocket knife.

Jiyong wipes each side of the blade on his pants, ridding it of blood. He points the tip of it at the female sitting at the head of the table. She's got a short bob hairstyle and a sultry stare.

“You. You're crazy.” Jiyong flaunts the knife as he sarcastically laughs. “Why do you have people following me, huh?”

This woman, presumably Kiko, uncrosses her legs, just to throw the other leg back over her opposite knee.

“Jiyong, is it?” She teases. She knows the answer, she's just toying with him.

Jiyong stabs the knife into the table and charges toward her, grabbing her hair and pulling her head back. He's got a knack for it tonight.

“Listen here. I've already killed two of your punk kids. I suggest if you want to keep them, and your title, you stop sending them after me.” He's hovering inches from her face. Kiko rolls her eyes and clears her throat. She waits a second, then spits in Jiyong’s face. If he hadn't put the knife down, he would've sliced her throat open. But instead he wipes his cheek on his sleeve and grabs hold of her throat.

“I’m not fucking kidding.” He growls.

Kiko is sitting still, unfazed by the sudden loss of breath. Jiyong really doesn't scare her.

-

 

Seungri’s been watching the boy lying on the ground for quite some time now. Jinwoo has stopped moving and most of his body is fenced in by a pool of blood. It’s almost as if Seungri expects him to move. He unexpectedly gags and excuses himself from the warehouse. He's no help to Jiyong at the moment and he can’t just sit there and gawk at that kid who looked like he choked on his own blood. Youngbae follows him out and has him sit by the door. He takes his spot across from Seungri and watches him. Jiyong isn't going to be too happy with either of them.

Back inside, Kiko wraps her fingers around Jiyong’s wrist and digs her nails in, trying to pull his tight hold off her airways. She takes a deep breath in as she fakes some puppy dog eyes and curls her lip.

“I am so, so sorry.” Her voice is dripping sarcasm. “I won’t send any of my beautiful baby boys after you anymore.” She emphasizes the praise of her boys and bats her eyes at Jiyong. She then peeks her head around Jiyong, “Right, Taehyun? You're not going after Jiyong’s boys right?” And Taehyun, the boy under Seunghyun’s firm grip raises his eyebrows and shrugs.

Jiyong, on the other hand, looks disgusted. His body cringes and he turns to retrieve his pocket knife. The chair shifts behind him and he acts on pure wit, grabbing his knife and swinging his arm back. The blade lands right into Kiko’s temple. As the rest of Jiyong’s body follows through with his arm, Kiko’s body immediately goes limp and she almosts lays herself on the table.

The boy Seunghyun has been holding jerks under the taller man’s grip. Seunghyun quickly kicks behind his knees and knocks him forward, grabbing the boy’s head and snapping it to the side. Seunghyun looks up at Jiyong who’s pulled his knife out of Kiko’s skull and is now repeatedly stabbing it into her body.

As usual, Seunghyun pulls Jiyong off of her by the collar of his jacket and takes his knife back.

“Fucking Christ Jiyong. You’ve really fucking lost it.” Seunghyun curses as he pulls Jiyong out the door. “Where the hell are they?”

That’s the last thing Jiyong wants to hear. ‘Where are his boys?’

Jiyong kicks Jinwoo’s limp body out of his way and storms outside, where Youngbae quickly stands at attention and Seungri sits quivering like a kid.

Jiyong rolls his head back and laughs. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. What kind of bullshit did you try to pull in there? Seunghyun can’t really be the only loyal one here.”

Seungri begins to look up from his lap at Jiyong, his eyes slowly meet the elder’s a over him. Before he can open his mouth Jiyong throws him completely on the ground and crawls on top of him. He almost hesitates beating the shit out of Seungri, but he’s got to learn some way. So Jiyong beats him to the point where he may be unconscious, or maybe he’s just not moving. Nobody really knows.

Seunghyun doesn’t pull Jiyong off of Seungri. Not this time.

By the end of the near 4th death of the night, Jiyong looks over his shoulder and Youngbae takes a slight step back.

“And you.” He clenches his jaw. “Don’t comfort him. Stop treating him like he’s a fucking baby. He’ll get over it.”

-

 

Tonight, Youngbae doesn’t get to bed until 4. He, like every other night, is trying to fix Seungri the best he can. He knows Seungri won’t last long now, and it’s only a matter of time till he shatters. Even after all of Youngbae’s work on him, he still looks like complete shit. Jiyong may have gone a bit overboard on this one. But then again, Youngbae thinks, what’s overboard to someone who’s already hit rock bottom?


	3. Chapter 3

The night they return Korea, Jiyong finds himself sitting on the balcony with Seunghyun, passing the same cigarette back and forth. They haven’t done much talking other than Jiyong explaining how he thinks he might die soon. Seunghyun just sits there and hums in response. Jiyong always thinks he’s going to die. Even if it’s by accident, he always feels like it’s coming soon. Seunghyun puts out the butt on the railing and tosses it twenty stories off the balcony. 

“Be careful what you wish for Jiyong.” His eyes stay locked on the city in front of him. 

Inside, Youngbae is in his room (alone, for once). He’s pacing the room, but he’s not panicking. Tonight, he wants to find closure. He’s not sure in what, but he needs to confide in some light that will tell him that one day, everything will be normal, and he won’t have to watch his friends die. So he drops to his knees by his bedside and locks his fingers together, and rests them against his forehead. 

He’s whispering as if he doesn’t want Jiyong to hear, as if he’s praying to get away from him. Even God himself would whisper about things like this. Jiyong’s stooping lower and lower every day; who knows when he’ll officially snap. He asks for Him to show him a sign. Maybe that everything happening is only temporary, and it will all pass soon. Youngbae hasn’t prayed in months, so he apologizes and closes his orison with ‘in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit’ and a quiet ‘Amen’. He stands and makes his way to the bathroom inside his room, where he washes his face and rids himself of his shirt. 

Seungri is standing in the hall in front of Youngbae’s door. He’s bruised to the extreme and still has a bit of dried blood on the cut on his lip. He, himself, prayed silently against the door. He doesn’t follow much of a religion, but hey, whatever Youngbae does, he does too. He kind of forgets the order of the crosses for the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, so he thinks God passes over his prayers sometimes.

-

 

The next morning, Jiyong sends the two eldest out to get him new guns. He stressed how much he needs his revolver back. But this leaves him alone with Seungri, and Seungri is fragile. Youngbae doesn’t think twice about it before leaving. Jiyong locks the apartment door behind the two and cracks his neck. He turns around to find Seungri standing, bruised and battered, down the corridor. The youngest wanted to catch Youngbae before he left. He looks so broken. His head doesn’t sit straight on his shoulders like it used to. He has it at a slight angle, with his busted bottom lip pouted. Jiyong inhales and blinks a few times. He, on the other hand, looks furious. He has the fires of hell in his eyes. The fire that surrounds Seungri is trapped in Jiyong’s eyes. He can’t even find words to say to the youngest.

Jiyong runs his fingers through his hair and purses his lips. “For starters, what the fuck do you think you’re doing?” 

Seungri’s lip starts to quiver. He doesn’t pay any mind to the pain of the cut reopening on his lower lip. There’s a lump in his throat and if he opens his mouth he’ll choke on it and all the tears that’ll follow. So he blinks back his tears and looks down at his feet. Jiyong lunges at him with a fist. Seungri flinches and hides behind his arms.

“P-please,” He swallows. “Please don’t hit me anymore.”

Jiyong bends a bit to get a clear look at Seungri hiding under his arms. He raises his eyebrows and scoffs. “You’ve got to be kidding me. You have got to be fucking kidding me.”

Jiyong’s fists are shaking out of pure anger. He slams Seungri against the wall and looks him dead in the eye. For a moment, he doesn’t say anything. He just closely watches the tears brimming up in Seungri’s bruised eyes. 

“God damn it. Don’t you dare start crying, Seungri,” Jiyong is growling now. 

Seungri wishes he could push himself further into this wall so he could disappear. His jaw is chattering and he’s trying with everything that still functions in his face not to cry. And just when the youngest’s tears seem like they’re passing, Jiyong strikes him right in the cheekbone.

And there it is. The lump Seungri was choking on earlier breaks and he’s sobbing. The blow throws his balance off and he stumbles down the wall a bit. Jiyong’s rings reopen blood-crusted wounds and form a few more. Seungri slides his back down the wall as he clutches his cheekbone that may or may not be shattered now. 

Jiyong hovers over Seungri once again. It’s deja-voo. He shuts his eyes and inhales, and Seungri hopes he’s thinking about walking away. As usual, Jiyong proves Seungri wrong and knees him directly in the nose. This is God ignoring Seungri’s prayers from last night.

Seungri lets his head fall to the side in hopes that if he plays dead, Jiyong will leave. 

-

 

After a few hours, the duo sent on the gun errand earlier return with a few briefcases. They unlock the door and find Seungri slouched over against the wall where Jiyong left him. His jaw is slack and there are trails of blood running from his nose and into his mouth. 

Youngbae almost cringes. This is why he was nervous about leaving. He couldn't pinpoint it until now. Youngbae doesn’t even set down the briefcase in each hand. He launches them down the hall and they skid for a couple of feet. He wants to yell but he doesn’t know what to yell. Jiyong has heard it all. Seunghyun toes off his shoes and tosses the case on the island in the kitchen and disappears into his room. It’s another one of those nights. 

Youngbae scoops Seungri off the marble ground and carries him to his own room this time. There, he lies the youngest on his bed and brushes his blood stained bangs out of his face. The youngest realizes this definitely isn’t Jiyong and peeks an eye open. Ironically, Youngbae is towering over him. He sighs in relief and closes his eye again. He doesn’t want anyones help. This is it. This is Seungri’s breaking point. 

-

 

When Seungri comes to later that night, he opens his eyes as far as he can and tries to sit up in bed. There’s a glass of water and 2 pills sitting next to his phone on the nightstand. With Jiyong still in the apartment, he chooses not to take them. His head lolls back and forth involuntarily as he walks to the bathroom down the hall. He grabs his own pills from behind the mirror and swallows them dry. For a moment, he contemplates downing the whole bottle. He shakes the thought and closes the mirror. Seungri’s mouth hangs open, not in disgust, because he literally can not close it without his jaw popping in 4 different places. The reflection in the mirror isn’t Seungri. It’s some gross, bloody, mess looking back at him. Seungri thinks he sees Jiyong's true form in the mirror. 

Seungri’s breath is labored as he makes his way back to his room. On the way, he passes by Youngbae’s door. The lamp light is dim in his room, but it lets Seungri know he’s in there. 

That night, when Youngbae prays to God, Seungri hears a new question when he passes by. Youngbae asks, with a sincere tone, ‘why He failed to improve us’. And Seungri doesn’t stay for the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. He drags his tired legs back into his room where he dims the light and sits down on the floor. He tugs his bed sheets off and into his lap. Seungri thinks about the question long and hard as he ties his bedsheets together in the next room over. Why did God fail to improve us? 

Seungri’s been knotting his sheets together for about 15 minutes now. He grabs a piece of paper from his nightstand and jots down a few words and leaves the paper on his empty bed. He tosses the pen back on the table and heads out to the balcony. He peeks out and checks for anyone on his floor outside. It's clear, so he launches one end of his sheets up in attempt to catch it on the hook drilled above. Seeing the condition his body is in, it takes him a few throws to actually make it. The youngest rubs his eyes one last time. The pain from the pressure is only temporary, he tells himself. 

His fingertips have flakes of dried blood on them as he grips each side of the makeshift noose. He slides it gently over his head and pulls it tight around his neck. He grabs onto the railing and balances himself on it before standing up. He glances at his watch.

12:12 am. Seungri takes his last breath and steps off the rail.

-

 

The sky is dark when Youngbae wakes up, but it still gives a light off in his room. His phone says it’s something after six. When he steps into the hall, he notices the crack of light from under Seungri’s door. Youngbae taps his knuckle on the door and pushes it open. The room is empty and the lamp is on for nobody. He steps in and lets his eyes adjust to the new lighting. The screen door to his balcony is open. Youngbae’s eyes come to pretty quickly. 

There’s Seungri, hanging from the balcony above, blue in the face. Youngbae can't stop staring. His eyes are taking all of this in but his mind can’t seem to process as fast as his sight. Youngbae rushes to the balcony and climbs up onto the railing. He tries to maintain his balance as his hands start to shake. He tugs on the sheets knotted tightly around Seungri’s throat. His fingers brush against the boy's skin a few times. It’s cold. Youngbae’s believes it’s because Seungri’s been outside all night. Not because he’s dead. That's definitely not it. He pulls on the sheet one last time and Seungri’s body collapses on the balcony below Youngbae.

Youngbae picks him up and lies the youngest’s cold body on his bed and tries to find a pulse. Youngbae doesn't know it’s been almost 7 hours. Seungri’s dead. He’s gone. He’s exactly what Jiyong told Seungri about Daesung. 

There’s a paper crumpled up under Seungri’s limp arm. Youngbae spots it and pulls it from under him, scrambling to unfold it. 

‘Get out of here Youngbae. Please get away from Jiyong. I don’t want you to be next.’

He wrote it to Youngbae because Seungri was smart. He knew Jiyong wouldn't care enough to even bring him inside. Jiyong would've probably cut the sheets and let Seungri fall to the streets 20 stories below. Youngbae pockets Seungri’s note and leaves the room.

They're dropping like flies.


	4. Chapter 4

Youngbae slams Seungri’s door behind him. He’s more mad than anything right now. He kicks open Jiyong's door, and before the younger man can realize he’s there, Youngbae is already on top of him. The elder’s hands have a tight grip on Jiyong’s throat and he’s trembling out of pure anger. 

“What’s your game here, Jiyong? What are you trying to accomplish?” Youngbae is whispering, but with a harsh tone. If he raises his voice, he’ll lose it. He may just kill Jiyong.

Jiyong is surprised, but doesn’t show it. He would have never expected this from Youngbae. But then again, he wasn't expecting it because Jiyong seems to be lacking the fact that Seungri is hanging in the next room over, as blue as the skies above. 

Jiyong is struggling under the heavier man. Youngbae could snap every bone in Jiyong’s body if he really wanted to. But Youngbae just chooses to keep his fingers locked around Jiyong's throat; not giving him a chance to answer the questions asked. Jiyong’s slender fingers shake as they wrap around the elder’s wrist. Right before Jiyong shuts his eyes and gives up, Youngbae released his grip. He sits on top of Jiyong with his fists clenched, debating if he should beat the shit out of him for making Seungri suffer. Another part of him wants Jiyong to suffer on his own. But then again, Jiyong is crazy. He’s already on a slow downward spiral. 

So Youngbae opts out of beating the living hell out of Jiyong. He crawls off of Jiyong’s small body when he’s done and heads for the door. 

“Seungri’s dead.” He says, facing the door. “He hung himself off the balcony. I brought him inside. You should probably call whoever the hell it is you call when shit like this happens.” And Youngbae is gone.

-

 

That night, Seunghyun knocks on Youngbae’s door. He mid-prayer when the eldest walks in, so he just leans against the wall and watches. Youngbae purses his lip as he hits a certain part in the prayer. Seunghyun believes he’s praying above to God, telling Him to take good care of Seungri for him because he couldn’t do it himself. But that’s just Seunghyun’s thoughts.

As Youngbae closes his prayer with an amen, Seunghyun stands up straight and waits for Youngbae to look up. 

“Jiyong called. I figured I’d let you know we’re going soon.” He says.

Youngbae stands and drags his hands down his face. This is going to be one of those nights again.

-

Youngbae finds himself in front of Seungri’s bedroom door. He doesn’t know if he has the mental strength to open the door. There’s a cold draft that pushes under the crack of the door. If he were some conspiracy theorist, he’d say it’s Seungri telling him to come in; but remembers he never slid the balcony door shut earlier this morning.

Seungri is still there, discolored and cold on his bed. Youngbae inhales deeply and swallows the knot in his throat. He slides an arm under Seungri’s neck and knees, lifting him into his arms once again. He tries not to look down as he makes his way out to the the car.

Jiyong has the trunk popped by the time Youngbae gets to the parking garage. But Youngbae passes by the younger man. He bends a bit so he can open the backseat door without having to set Seungri’s body down. Youngbae lies the youngest in the backseat and makes his way around to the other side. He shuts the trunk and stares at Jiyong for a second.

“Have some decency, asshole,” Youngbae huffs.

Youngbae keeps Seungri’s head in his lap during the ride. He rests his hand on Seungri’s chest and looks out the window for the time being. 

He’s waiting for Seungri to cry and cling close to him.

-

 

Jiyong exits the car first. There’s a patch of dirt already patted down. That would be Daesung. But there’s a second ditch waiting for Seungri. Youngbae may not want to let go of him just yet, but if he doesn’t move Jiyong’s going to put both of them in the ground together, so Youngbae scoops Seungri into his arms again for the last time. Before he gets out of the car, he kisses Seungri’s forehead. At least this time the youngest can’t shatter under Youngbae's touch. Jiyong flicks on his flashlight as Youngbae exits the car. He and Seunghyun stand by the makeshift grave and wait for Youngbae to lie Seungri down in it. 

Youngbae drags this out as long as he physically can. The last time he’ll get to see Seungri, he’ll have bruises painted around his neck. His tears have been long dried. He can’t warn Youngbae of what’s to come. But in a sense, no one really can.

So Youngbae lies Seungri down into the ground and kneels beside the ditch. He begins to pray for the second time tonight. This time, Seunghyun is sure he’s praying for Seungri to be in a better place. Seunghyun would pray for that himself if he knew a goddamn thing about religion. 

When Youngbae stands, he passes Jiyong and Seunghyun. He heads off into the thinning woods behind them. He leaves them with nothing. No goodbye. No wait up. Nothing. So Jiyong shrugs it off and gets back in the car. Seunghyun inhales the fresh air before following Jiyong.

‘People are fucking crazy.’ Seunghyun thinks.

He just wishes he could say that freely in front of Jiyong.

-

 

Youngbae finds himself walking through the airport at the crack of dawn. It’s a stretch, but he’s looking for the first flight to Tokyo. He’s got a plan. It’s stupid, but so is everything up to this point in his life. He buys a ticket and eventually boards a plane empty handed. Nothing but his phone and his near empty wallet.

The last time he was on a plane, Seungri slept on his shoulder. Now, the seat next to him is empty. It’s got to be some sort of weird symbolism, but he doesn’t want to think too much into it. 

-

 

Youngbae’s flight lands early morning, he guesses eight-ish. He tries to run through the last visit to Tokyo. What buildings he’s seen. What streets he’s taken. Maybe if Jiyong had dropped any hints as to what the hell was actually going on last time, Youngbae wouldn’t be wandering Tokyo streets like an idiot.

Youngbae feels a few rain drops on his head and shoulders, and he raises his forearm near his forehead to block the first few drops. He turns down the next alleyway and crouches down, hoping the rain will pass soon. Following directly behind him is a man in all black. If Youngbae were quick enough, he would’ve remembered the man’s name before he takes the handle of their pistol to the face.

-

 

Before Youngbae opens his eyes, he runs his tongue on the inside of his lip. There’s definitely blood in his mouth, probably running from his nose. The second thing he notices is the restriction of his hands. They’re tightly tied behind him with what feels like belt. So he doesn’t struggle. He knows there’s no use in it. 

When Youngbae comes to, he immediately sees two men in front of him. On the left, is Seung-something. Youngbae really can’t remember his name though. Seung-the-man-who-lost-Jiyong’s-guns. He’s visibly still not recovered from his encounter with Jiyong last week. On the right is an unfamiliar face. It’s a gentle face, someone you wouldn't expect in this kind of business. Kind of like Daesung.

Youngbae is uncomfortably slouched over in the chair. This wasn’t exactly how he planned for this to go.

The familiar face steps closer to Youngbae and leans in towards him. “What are you doing in Tokyo?”

Youngbae intends to join them. He just can’t put it to words. So he sits there silently, looking hazily at the ground beside the other man. Without delay, Seunghoon uppercuts Youngbae in the jaw. He bites his tongue, physically and mentally. Does he really want to go through with this? 

Seunghoon leans in a bit more and taps Youngbae on the temple, as if he were knocking. “Do you understand me? Are you mute?”

Youngbae has never been one to shy away from what he wants, so he shakes off the pain of the punch and sits up.

“Hear me out,” He starts. “Jiyongs going insane. I need someone else to help me take him o-”

“No,” Seunghoon scoffs, cutting Youngbae off before he finishes his sentence. “Absolutely not. You’ve got to be crazy.”

He turns around and pulls his own pistol out, tossing it to the other male. He juggles it around in his hands before he gets a grip on it. Youngbae looks disgusted; how’d this kid get here?

“Take him out, Seungyoon,” Seunghoon instructs.

But this fragile boy, Seungyoon. He’s not as tough as Seunghoon. He can’t even grip the gun with all of his force, let alone point it directly at Youngbae. He’s shaking in his shoes. He’s their Seungri. It’s all Youngbae can think about. 

Youngbae watches Seungyoon have a nervous fit in front of him. He’s got a grip on the gun. There’s some progress. It’s not like Youngbae wants to die, he’s just intrigued by this kid and what they keep him around for.

Seunghoon next to him is waiting as well, but unlike Youngbae, he’s not patient. He grabs the handgun back and without hesitating, shoves the barrel into Seungyoon’s temple and pulls the trigger. He drops the the ground and blood begins to pool around him.

Before the eldest can take in what just occurred, the same barrel is pressed between his eyes. Youngbae looks Seunghoon dead in the eye. His face is covered in cuts and fading green bruises.

He almost sounds like he’s laughing when he twists the gun against Youngbae’s forehead. “In what world would something that requires such loyalty to one person accept a traitor? Is this a joke to you?” He cracks his neck and clears his throat. “Besides, it’s just me now.”

This is it. Youngbae knew it was a mistake. It’s time to accept the consequence.

He shuts up. Seunghoon pulls the trigger. Nothing. He clicks it a few times, but there’s nothing.

Youngbae sends a mental thank-you to God. But it instantly ricochets back. 

Seunghoon tosses the unloaded gun to the side and shoves his hand under his coat, where he pulls out Jiyong’s precious revolver. The one that supposedly got confiscated from the cargo of the plane. He dangles it in front of Youngbae. 

“Remember this?” He snickers.

This is when Youngbae starts to fidget. He tries pulling his arms apart, but there’s no luck. Seunghoon has the tip of the gun pushed against Youngbae’s skull once again.

“I’ll make sure Jiyong gets word of what you’re here for.” He smiles. It looks kind, but it’s fully sarcastic.

He pulls the trigger and Youngbae’s mind goes blank (and probably scatters across the ground behind them).

-

 

Seunghyun and Jiyong are locked in the younger’s room. They’ve got a map pinned against the wall. It’s covered in circles and x’s. Kills and future kills. Jiyong is in the middle of marking a massive ‘x’ over Japan, where he (and Seunghyun) last killed. Jiyong scribbles a small three next to the ‘x’.

His phone on the nightstand lights up and begins to vibrate. The number isn’t saved in his phone, but he picks it up anyway.

“I saved you the trouble and made the call for you. I heard something about you’re going crazy? Who would’ve thought? In all honesty, it was nice doing business with you.” It’s Seunghoon, snickering through the speakerphone. Jiyong’s face tenses. He drops the call and throws his phone against the wall. 

Jiyong takes the uncapped marker and scribbles over the three next to Japan. He writes a four instead. Although he didn’t conduct the murder, he knows exactly what just happened.

Seunghyun thinks he understands what's going on, but he doesn’t confirm anything.

-

 

Here’s another night, where Seunghyun and Jiyong are together in this plain field. There’s two covered patches of dirt. Seunghoon must’ve made a removal call, because there’s not a third ditch to bury Youngbae, who is lying flat on his back with a clean bullet hole wound to the forehead.

Jiyong reaches into his back pocket for two things. A cigarette and his lighter. Seunghyun just stands back. Who knows what Jiyong will do.

Jiyong lights the cigarette and wanders closely by Seunghyun. “What should we do with him? I don’t even want to look at him dead.” He tips his chin up and exhales smoke into the sky. “This is fuckin’ ridiculous. What a goddamn traitor!” He raises his tone.

Jiyong bites the butt between his teeth. He flicks his hand to the trunk of the car. 

“Seunghyun grab the fucking gasoline in the trunk.” He barks. Seunghyun knows exactly where this is going now. He grabs the can from the trunk and tosses it to Jiyong, who uncaps it and doesn’t hold back. He flips the entire container over and douses Youngbae’s body.

“I’m not fucking burying a traitor. Who the fuck does he think he is?” He shakes the last few drops out of the canister and drops it beside him. Jiyong takes a final drag from his cigarette and walks away. If it weren’t for Seunghoon having Youngbae’s body delivered here, Jiyong would’ve cut him up. Cursing with every cut. Thrown his stupid body in a river. But he’ll be kind, just this one time.

Once he reaches a safe enough distance, Jiyong flicks the rest of his cigarette at Youngbae’s body. The gravel around his body slowly catches flame and then immediately takes shape to Youngbae’s frame. 

“God damn it.” Jiyong curses. Seunghyun looks over using his peripherals. “That was my last cigarette.” He looks disappointed as he makes his way to the car, completely unaffected by what he just caused. Seunghyun following relatively close behind. Jiyong starts the car and watches the flames grow in his rearview mirror.

“At least we won’t have to come back here anymore.” Seunghyun shrugs. ‘Hopefully’ probably could’ve made it in there somewhere.


	5. Chapter 5

Jiyong and Seunghyun find themselves right back in the younger’s room that night. They've locked the door although there's nobody else in the apartment. They're all dead, come to think of it. Jiyong never really noticed until now. When you’re the head of the highest ranking mafia in Seoul, you never really take a moment to stop and realize.

Jiyong takes a seat on the bed and lays back. His palms are covering his eyes, his fingers lock in his hair. He doesn't know what to do anymore. It's just him and Seunghyun now. Now that the thought is in his mind, Jiyong wonders if he's still the highest ranking in Seoul with just two members left. Highly doubtful, but still a thought.

While Jiyong is engrossed in his own mind, Seunghyun silently uncaps the marker on the desk and makes a mark over Seoul on the map. This kill hasn't happened yet, but there's nothing wrong with a little pre-planning. He learned that from Jiyong.

Jiyong groans on the bed and sits up. He rests his elbows on top of his knees and shoves his hands back in his hair. Seunghyun is stuck guessing if he's pissed, tired, or hopeless. There’s that saying that people are an open book, some bullshit on how they can be read easily. Jiyong’s case is much different. He a book with torn edges, liquor staining the pages, cigarettes burning holes through once wise words. In a sense; difficult to read.

-

 

Before Jiyong calls Seunghyun into his room for planning for the umpteenth night this week, he finds himself shaking on his bed. He’s revisiting the other half of his thought from the previous night. The fact that it's just him and Seunghyun left. He's got his legs pulled up into his chest and if Seunghyun wasn't a wall away, he'd break. He’s gonna die soon anyway. The thought is always running through his mind. He’s not sure when, but he knows it’s coming soon. The problem is, to Jiyong, his death couldn’t come soon enough. So he cries when Seunghyun isn’t there. He just wants out.

Seungri, his sweet youngest, would crouch by the elder’s bed and watch closely with those tired baby eyes. He'd watch as if he was gathering scientific information for some experiment to find out why Jiyong is so batshit crazy. Now Daesung, he'd pull the mother card. Lay a securing hand on his back and pull Jiyong's head onto his shoulder and let him cry it out. That's his remedy, cry until you can cry no more. But Youngbae would probably throw a punch, tell him to man up, give him a mouthful. Although that was Youngbae’s alter ego, it came in need when Jiyong needed it. But they're all dead. And it's most likely Jiyong’s fault. That's how he likes to think of it now. 

Jiyong unlocks his door soon after and calls for Seunghyun. He shuts the door behind the elder and sits down.

“Seunghyun.” He starts. “What are we doing?”

And Seunghyun doesn't know what to say. Even as an elder, he looks up to Jiyong for instructions and rundowns. 

So he just shrugs his shoulders, “You didn’t tell me what our plans were for tonight-”

“Not that, Seunghyun.” Jiyong cuts him off. “What are we doing with ourselves.”

Seunghyun can’t answer that one.

The room falls silent while Jiyong inspects the wall beside them. The map on the wall is almost covered in X’s ranging in sizes. He misses the X over Seoul that Seunghyun drew yesterday night. There's so many he just misses it. From behind, Jiyong's phone vibrates and shifts across the nightstand. He flinches and looks over his shoulder. Seunghyun leans back in his chair and grabs the phone, tossing it to Jiyong. 

He catches it and it stops ringing. The call ended before Jiyong could accept the call. The screen lights up ‘Missed call (1): YB”.

YB as in Youngbae. 

Youngbae as in the one whose body is probably charred in that empty field.

Jiyong tenses. Deep down, Jiyong has been scared. It's nothing new, it's been an ongoing occurrence for the past few months now. His dead friend calling him, that's just the icing on the cake.

He drops his phone and turns back to the map. Seunghyun grunts as he bends over grabbing the phone. He hits the power button and raises his eyebrows before setting the phone on the table in front of him. He doesn't say anything; what is there to say?

The phone vibrates on the table and Seunghyun grabs it before Jiyong can smash his fist down on it. The caller ID clearly says YB again, and Seunghyun doesn’t know if he himself should pick up the phone or not. After the 2nd ring, Jiyong extends his arm behind him. Seunghyun sets the phone in his hand again and silently watches as Jiyong stares at the call.

He’s pinching the bridge of his nose with one hand while avoiding the call in the other. It’s already rang a few times since Seunghyun handed Jiyong the phone, but he just can’t bring himself to answer the phone.

On the final ring, Seunghyun slams his fist on the table and stands up, pulling the phone back out of Jiyong’s fragile hands. He hits accept and turns the speaker setting on, holding the phone in front of him.

“Who is this?” Seunghyun says, voice calm. Jiyong nervously watches the phone.

There’s a familiar voice on the other side of the line. It’s asking for Jiyong. Seunghoon is looking for Jiyong.

“Hello?” He questions. “Jiyong? You there?” Seunghyun looks up at Jiyong, waiting for a response. He gestures the phone towards Jiyong, but the younger stays silent. 

“He’s here.” Seunghyun spits.

Seunghoon clears his throat as if he’s trying to make his voice deeper, seeing as he’s threatened by Seunghyun’s. 

“Just calling to see if we’ve evened the score so to speak. Kiko’s group is pretty much all gone and you know Jiyong’s is kinda-”

Jiyong looks up at the elder at the mention of his name and grabs the phone back. He ends the call and pulls up Youngbae’s contact information. He deletes the number and blocks any future calls. The phone gets turned off and tossed onto Jiyong’s bed.

The younger turns back to the map. His hand is running against his jawline, right where his stubble is starting to grow.

“You know, Seunghyun.” His voice is so gentle, it’s actually frightening to Seunghyun. “What if that Seunghoon kid comes for us?”

But Seunghyun doesn’t answer. Inside he’s building up the courage to say what’s on his mind. After a couple years of dealing with a professional psychopath named Kwon Jiyong, you’d think he’s got a lot to say. And he does. He’s just letting his anger build up to the point where when he does give Jiyong a piece of his mind, it’s convincible. That it has Jiyong scared of Seunghyun, the way it should’ve been since the start.

Jiyong whispers ‘Seunghyun,’ as if he’s trying to get an actual answer. Seunghyun looks up with hooded lids. He just smirks and exhales. 

He’ll spare Jiyong tonight. He’s already scared.

-

 

Jiyong is alone tonight. It’s new. Seunghyun left unexpectedly and Jiyong has never felt so vulnerable. He finds himself pacing the room like any other night. But it’s not the same, because he only paces when he’s thinking. And Jiyong definitely isn’t thinking right now. In fact his mind is blank. He’s coming apart at the seams and nobody is here to keep him from falling into a million pieces. So he just falls to his knees and screams without hesitation.

He’s got his knees to his chest and his forehead pushed, almost painfully, into the carpet under him. His fists are clenched and repeatedly hitting the ground like a child throwing a tantrum. 

Technically he is.

He’s supposed to be the head of a known mafia and it’s all been taken away from him. So he’s got a feeling that he should be crying. 

After a series of blows to the ground, he stops. The skin on his knuckles becomes raw and a bit bloody. The adrenaline coursing through his veins prevents it from hurting, it’s just that blood isn’t a sight he wants to see anymore. There’s been enough blood in the past few weeks and Jiyong doesn’t know if he can handle anymore of it. 

There’s another rush of adrenaline and Jiyong’s pulls himself off the ground. He’s hysterically laughing as his eyes scatter around the room, looking for a form of release. He spots Seunghyun’s bottle of wine from a previous night and grabs it by the neck. He examines it for a second, then busts it open on the corner of the table.

There’s red liquid splattered all over place. To Jiyong; it’s ironic. It looks like blood. And its running down Jiyong’s body. 

He stares wide eyed for a second and loses it. The neck of the broken wine bottle is then thrown at the wall and Jiyong is flipping the table on it’s side. There’s glass scattered all over the ground, and now there’s red wine seeping into the carpet. Jiyong is getting antsy and can’t stop for a damn second to realize that he’s finally breaking apart. He can’t even stop and notice that his hands are covered in his own blood and not wine. All he can realize is that he’s alone.

Until there’s a nauseating smell coming from somewhere in the apartment. If Jiyong didn’t know any better he would think Seunghyun came home, drunk and covered in his own vomit. But he does know better, and this smell is much worse.

Seunghyun is, in fact, back in the apartment. But he’s not drunk, and he sure as hell didn’t throw up on himself. He’s in the front hallway of the apartment, loudly pulling off latex gloves. He stands silently after that. He’s waiting for Jiyong to come out himself, but the door to his room stays shut. So after a couple minutes, Seunghyun drops the game. He’s in front of Jiyong’s door within seconds. The first attempt of entering is wasted on trying the doorknob. Seunghyun wants to laugh at himself- who tries a doorknob in this situation?

On the other side of the door, Jiyong is holding his breath. Not because of the smell, but because Seunghyun is looking for him. He wants to hide, but after Seunghyun’s doorknob attempt failed, he’s moved on to throwing his weight into the door. Seunghyun is a big man, and the door won’t hold up long enough for Jiyong to hide.

The door’s hinges start to move off the wall with each thrust of Seunghyun’s weight. Eventually it comes off, and behind the door stands Jiyong, watching Seunghyun with red eyes and bloody hands. 

Seunghyun’s clothes are covered in dirt, but they’re not the cause of the smell. The odor is stronger now that the door isn’t blocking it anymore. Jiyong can’t move, he has nowhere to go. But Seunghyun charges towards him and grabs his throat. Jiyong is a whimpering mess under his grip, he doesn’t even try and fight it though.

Seunghyun’s eyes haven’t left Jiyong’s and he hasn't said a word. Jiyong hopes this is it. That Seunghyun will just choke him to death and go on with his life. But that isn’t the case tonight. When you live with someone like Jiyong, someone who’s clinically insane, it starts to rub off on you. Seunghyun has picked up everything he’s learned from Jiyong.

So as Seunghyun notices Jiyong beginning to go limp in his hand, he clocks him in the jaw.

He’s still conscious, and that’s all Seunghyun needs.

He starts to drag Jiyong out to the living room by the throat, and Jiyong just gives up. He can’t fight it. 

The smell grows stronger as Seunghyun pulls Jiyong closer to the entrance of the apartment. And it isn’t until after the eldest flicks on the lightswitch that the smell can be connected to a source.

Lying in the corridor of the apartment are two bodies, one more decomposed than the other, but not by far. It’s obvious to Jiyong who they are, they’re still recognizable. Bile rises in his throat but Seunghyun’s grip prevents it from leaving his body.

Seunghyun watches Jiyong closely. His face is red, but it’s starting to tint with purple.

“On the left.” He states without looking. “That’s Daesung. I got a text from him the night he slit his throat. Right after you whispered what I’m going to guess was utter bullshit to him. He texted me to watch out for Seungri, he didn’t want Seungri to die because some nutcase told him to.” Seunghyun shrugs. “Youngbae did what I was told to do. Someone had to keep an eye on you because if you didn’t kill somebody else, you’d kill yourself.”

Seunghyun releases Jiyong and he drops to the floor, right between Daesung and Seungri’s bodies. He tries to inhale as much oxygen as he can, but now that his airway is clear, all that can come out is vomit. 

“By process of elimination, the body on your right is Seungri. But I’m sure you picked up on that.”

Jiyong is kneeled over between the two bodies. Seunghyun just talks over him. He’s been working on this speech the whole ride home.

“Seungri left a note on his bed for the first person to find him. He knew it’d be Youngbae because you were too busy plotting ways to make his life worse to even notice he was so close to hanging himself.”

Jiyong’s body is heaving up and down as he cries. He’s so weak, he’s still praying for Seunghyun to kill him here and now.

“Get up Jiyong.”

He doesn’t move.

“Jiyong, Jesus fucking Christ. Get up and stop being so fucking full of yourself. No, we’re not the highest ranking mafia in Asia anymore. Three of five of your members are dead. They’re not coming back. I don’t think you notice that and they’re lying dead right next to you for fuck’s sake.” 

Jiyong still can’t bring himself to get up. And Seunghyun is getting sick of telling him, so he grabs his shoulder and tries to forcibly pull him up. It fails and results in Jiyong flipping over, lying on his back between the two decomposed bodies.

“S-Seunghyun.” Jiyong is sniffling, wiping his tears with the side of his hand. “Please kill me.” He sobs.

Jiyong’s at his all time lowest point right now. Lying in his own vomit, being guilt-tripped for deaths he caused, begging to be killed. 

It’s all he really wants right now, he doesn’t care if it hurts. He just wants to die.

Seunghyun straddles Jiyong and pulls out the knife from under his belt, and the younger prays this is the end.

No matter how fucked up Jiyong may be, God has always seemed to be on his side, because the next moment later, Seunghyun has his knife held above his head and right over Jiyong’s chest.

“You’re damn near psychotic Jiyong, but you were a good kid to an extent.”

And Seunghyun stabs the blade into the middle of his torso.

Jiyong arches his back, gasping for air as if it were running out.

Seunghyun knows well enough that it wouldn’t be enough to kill him. So while Jiyong stares wide eyed at the ceiling above, Seunghyun roughly pulls down on the knife, tearing a straight line down his stomach, cutting through everything in its path.

And Jiyong lays screaming under him. His breath is hitching and his torso begins to bleed out.

Just as the younger had wished earlier, this is it. Seunghyun pulls the knife out of Jiyong's abdomen and tosses it off to the side. He gets off of Jiyong and wipes the palm of his hands on his pants, then heads for the door. He pulls out a lighter and a crumpled pack of cigarettes from his pocket, leans back against the door. He watches as Jiyong slowly loses his ability to breathe.

“You know.” He flicks the lighter and raises it to the stick in his mouth. “I didn't expect it to end this way.” He exhales the smoke and takes another drag. 

The blood pooling from Jiyong's body is slowly making its way to Seunghyun's feet. If Jiyong's still alive, he's barely holding on. His eyes are staring into a light that Seunghyun can't see. But he's not crying anymore. He's finally getting what he wanted.

The younger on the ground is growing paler with each passing minute and his breathing is getting ragged and he can't feel anything.

“But after years of working with you Jiyong, you just have to learn to expect the unexpected.”

Jiyong doesn't look too good. And that says a little for someone who's intestinal tract is exposed. His eyes start to flutter shut. He's waiting for Seunghyun to talk to him again, but the longer Seunghyun stays silent, the closer Jiyong is to not opening them again. The closer he is to his last breath. The closer he is to that light that only he could see. 

And that's it. There's no more raspy breathing from Jiyong. His body is still and his eyes aren't moving underneath their lids. 

Seunghyun ashes his cigarette over Jiyong's body and reinserts the stick between his teeth as he turns for the door. 

“See you in hell, boss.”


End file.
